Mo. 94 from Jeff City to Portland now reminds travelers of vet sacrifice

Tyler Huffman, Charles Williams and Albert Nichols unveil the sign officially declaring State Road 94 from Jefferson City to Portland as AMVETS Memorial Highway Thursday. The sign was unveiled in a morning ceremony after years of effort from AMVETS leader Bob Spencer.
Photo by Dean Asher.

AMVETS Post 153 vice commander Bob Spencer saw years of hard work and dedication come to fruition Thursday as the sign declaring a section of State Road 94 as “AMVETS Memorial Highway” was unveiled.

Spencer spearheaded the campaign to rename the portion of the road running from Jefferson City to Portland. He began the project almost three years ago after seeing similar road designations in New York on a trip to Niagara Falls.

Spencer learned he’d be in for the long haul when he first approached then-Missouri Senator Carl Vogel with the plan.

“When Mr. Spencer first came to me, I said if he thought we could get this done in one year, you haven’t been in the capital very long,” Vogel joked at the 10 a.m. dedication ceremony for the new AMVETS Memorial Highway sign.

Though politicians such as State Representative Jeanie Riddle and State Senator Mike Kehoe where among those in attendance, all said it was about those veterans involved, and they noted it was Spencer’s tenacity and dedication that pushed the plan through the process, which included fundraising for the signs and approval from both the state senate and house of representatives, as well as the governor.